Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-07-11

throughout these trying times. had
built wooden sheds in their garden,
50 as TO he ready for patients when
they came. But Paca did not know
of this; she had passed the nunnery
long ago-hours, almost days. It
seemed TO her-nothing remained 70
her but 10 wander on and on through
that dreary fiat.
At length she came to cemetery,
the gates standing open Here at
anv rate. was welcome, If grim
one. Such as it was, she accepted
it. and. unable 10 walk or stand any
Iouger. sat down on a grave. As
she leaned against the stone cross at
it, head, her ewes fixed stupidity upon
the ground, the sky blaeked with
clouds. A large drop Of rain fell
from her pamela; this was the sig
nal for downpour. the water de
seending A. If an ocean had broken
loose.
Poor Paca, as cold now as she had
been hot before, dimly realized the
need of shelter. BY the aid of the
cross she succeeded in rising and
staggered toward building in the
center Of the cemetery. 1t was
mortuary. Finding the door open,
she entered. and dropped upon
stone slab supported on short col
umns.
Had she been able To look about
her she would have seen several 9TH
er slabs parallel to that on which she
sat. Upon one of them, away in a
gloomy corner, lay well-dressed wo-
man. Dead or alive? She was not
dead. though she had been laid there
to die. She had been i'll in the train,
shunted into a siding by the panic
stricken officials, left there for sever
al davs without food or drink, and
finally brought to the mortuary. As
a matter Of fact, her lines was not
cholera, but consumption.
At Paca's entrance she tried TO
raise her head. Her parched lips
moved, but no sound came from them.
Her eyes rested upon the stranger
with intense eagerness and entreaty.
/ Paca, however did not notice her,and
/ for a time the only sound was that
made by the pelting rain. The lady
appeared to be listening TO 1t; and
also TO be struggling to pronounce
some word or other. After several
minutes had gone by she succeeded,
though very feebly.
Water she said, in English.
Paca. almost terrified out of the
/ few senses that remained to her gasp
ed for breath. Surely that was a
voice. Had the dead voices: She
had heard so.
water" repeated the lady in
Spanish.
Paca fell senseless TO the ground.
And there, in that dreadful mortuary,
surrounded by a bleak and lonely
cemetery. through the rest Of that
awful day and night they remained,
the English lady dying on the stone
slab, while on the ground close by,
lay this poor Spanish girl, who was to
all appearances already dead.
They were found next morning in
the same attitude by Maria Martinez,
Paca's mother, a little. thin, gray
haired woman. with an extremely
brown and wrinkled face. She had
been told Of what had happened TO
her daughter, her informant being
one OF the washerwomen who had
stormed the town, and she had trac-
ed Paca as far as the cemetery when
the trail had failed her. But remem-
bering the heavy rain she resolved u
try the mortnary, the only shelter
anywhere near.
She approached it with an over
powering sense Of dread. One glance
through the open doorway was enough
TO show her the truth. At the sight
Of her daughter lying stiff and mo-
tionless upon the floor, her brown
old face was strangely agitated and
her knees shook 50 that she had 10
clutch the Intel.
s.Paca - she said, fearfully, watch
ing with intense interest for some
movement Of limb or features.
But none was returned TO her.
ssPaca :" she said again, ln an
awed whisper.
But, a. when Paca's mistress had
called her, there was no answer.
aOh, child Of my heart, speak -
cried the stricken mother. "ThOu
art not dead Thou canst not be-
dead That would be too cruel" -
The thought gave her new energy.
She steadied her trembling limbs,
crept into the gloom of the mortuary
and dropped on the floor at her
daughters side.
"Paca, dearest, speak =" she cried
passionately. ''Speak, II only one
word - She waited in vain for the
word. Oh. my child, let me- see
thee smile a. thou used u do. Give
me ons look from thy dear bright
eyes. They are - dull now. Oh,
this j. terrible 2"
Yet she would not, could not AL
mit that al hope had vanished. She
pressed that cold face against her
own and tried - warm Il she tDok